Tambayayong Festival depicts the true essence of Tabangohanons

One of the sequenced of the Street Dance presntation of Tabango Senior High School ( by Robert Dejon)

TABANGOS,  Philippines — This Fourth Class Municipality of Leyte staged for the 4th consecutive year on Monday, Jan. 14 its Tambayayong Festival with the crowds growing each year since it first started in 2015.

Tambayayong (collaboration) was envisioned by then Municipal Mayor Maria Corazon Remandaban, now 3rd District of Leyte Board Member to depict the real essence of the people of Tabango as accommodating, caring, cooperative, supportive, obliging and most of all ready to lend a hand.

In an interview Remandaban said this true essence of the real Tabangohanons was proven when the municipality was nearly erased by Super Typhoon Yolanda, the strongest typhoon to ever hit this part of the Visayas in 2013.

Remandaban said despite the dire situation of Tabangohanons in the wake of the super typhoon, they still helped each other in many ways like rebuilding their neighbors houses.

This collaborative attitude of Tabangohanons according to Ramandaban, has always been there.

Remandaban said that the people of Tabangos were reeling from the effects of the super typhoon, she and the local council along with several elders held a meeting to identify what would portray the real essence of the people of Tabango, and to acknowledge how they became resilient.

It was here that the Tambayayong Festival was conceived.

This year, eight contingents from different schools participated in the fourth staging of the festival. They were the Pastor Salazar National High School, Ginbacongan National High School, Tabango North District, Tabango, South District, Marcelino Veloso National High School, Palompon Institute of Technology (Tabango Campus), Tabango National High School and Tabango Senior High School.

Bayanihan is another form of collaboration as shown here when local residents assisted in transferring a house to another place. (By Robert Dejon)

Tabango Senior High School is this year’s champion with Marcelino Veloso National High School landing 1st Runner Up and the Palompon Institute of Tachonology Tabango Campus as 2rd Runner Up.

Tabango Senior High School also nearly grabbed all the minor prices for Best Street Dancing, Best Choreographer and Best Musicality.

Tabango National High School won the fourth minor award in the Best in Costumes category. Tabango Senior High School this year portrayed a part of the municipality’s history when Chinese traders engaged in barter trade with local folks in exchange for local products like camote, coconut, cassava, and vegetables.

Marcelino Veloso National High School also made an impact with a presentation on how the Spaniards arrived in the municipality.

The Palompon Institute of Technology (Tabango Campus) was also credited for their portrayal of collaboration.

The Tabango Senior High School received P75, 000 cash for winning the festival this year with P50,000 and P25,000 cash prizes given to the other winners.

In his message, Tabangos Mayor Benjo Remandaban assured that the assistance given to LGUs will be increased from P50, 00 to P150, 000.

The local police estimated that some 12, 000 people watched the festival from the street dancing to presentations held for the first time at the Palompon Institute of Technology grounds here.  /muf